User blog:EhRSSS31507/Vampires, Sexuality, and the Media
“The Girl with the Hungry Eyes ” may seem like just another clever take on the old vampire legend; however, it is also a commentary on the affects of media on society. The Girl, as she is called, feeds on the life forces of men in much the same way that a classic vampire, with a small twist: she consumes their being. The Girl is presented as someone with an irresistible pull, an appeal that goes deeper than just sex. The narrator describes in great detail the ubiquitous nature of the Girl: “I…can’t stand to go downtown and see the mob slavering up at her on the tower…hate to look at magazines anymore…don’t like to think of millions of Americans drinking in that poisonous half smile…”. While he may claim that he hasn’t “suddenly developed any long-haired indignation at the evils of advertising”, it is obvious that the author, Fritz Leiber , had. In 1949 (the period the story was written in), television was becoming big, and with it, advertising. Television sets allowed companies to project their products directly into every home, with moving pictures and lovely ladies. It was a whole new frontier of advertising that would never have been achieved with radio and simple billboards and newspaper ads. Given the time period it would stand to reason that the Girl who dominates the fictional media is representative of the power that the real-life media held over America. One of the largest aspects of the changing tides was the heightened ability to use women and sex to push product; “sex sells” as they say (see it in action here ). The Girl’s uncanny pull on every man who sees her, even in just photographs, resembles the consumers blind following of advertisements. She is hypnotic in her existence, much like the grandfatherof all vampires: Dracula . To his target, Mina, he was inexplicably seductive and the Girl has much of the same effect on men. Her characterization as a vampire and as a metaphor for the media, demonstrated how the near-worship of the moving picture box was destroying society. She swallows up a man’s needs and desires by making him lay them out bare for her. In doing this, she eventually destroys all that makes him alive and human, leaving behind a corpse. She is the “living, breathing” symbol of how the media was using sex to drain individuality by making society homogenous in their beliefs, needs, and desires. It removed focus from the family and wholesome values and put it on the self and racier ideas. If you'd like to read the full story, you may find it here . References: Baughman, James L. "Television Comes to America, 1947-57." Television Comes to America, 1947-57. Illinois Periodicals Online, n.d. Web. 03 May 2017. The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Fritz Leiber." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., n.d. Web. 03 May 2017. Leiber, Fritz. "Tales of Mystery and Imagination." Fritz Leiber: The Girl with the Hungry Eyes. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 May 2017. Captbijou. "1949 TELEVISION COMMERCIAL BETTY FURNESS." YouTube. YouTube, 03 Sept. 2012. Web. 03 May 2017. Category:Blog posts